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Welcome to Am I Infected

IMPORTANT UPDATE
Posted Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Welcome to the "Am I Infected?" POZ forum.

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Thank you for your understanding
and future support of the best online support service for people living with,
affected by and at risk for HIV.

Unless you're in the habit of repeatedly punching a person in the mouth before they blow you, there could not possibly be enough blood present to cause concern.

Getting a blowjob is not a risk for hiv infection, regardless of any details you can think of to add.

Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:

You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL sexually transmitted infections together.

To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.

Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.

ALTHOUGH YOU DO NOT NEED TO TEST SPECIFICALLY FOR HIV OVER A BLOWJOB, anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.

If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results.

Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv. Some of the other STIs can be present with no obvious symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to test.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Yes, you have understood what is and what is not a risk for hiv infection.

As I said earlier, any sexually active adult should be having regular, full sexual health check ups, at least once a year, but you do NOT need to test for hiv specifically over the activities you're worried about.

Think of having regular sexual health check ups like having regular dental check ups. You might not have a toothache, but you go anyway. It's what responsible adults do to remain healthy.

Provided you've always used condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, you can fully expect any routine hiv tests to return negative results.

Please do move on with your life. You have not had a risk for hiv infection.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Dear Ann, this is the last comment, i just want to make sure. I have read one of your comment, that you have given your negative man many oral and he has stayed negative till this day. can you confirm this?

And also, does her blood entering my body thru my mouth has any risk? For example, when i suck her nipple, and there is blood? How about that? And can HIV transmitted thru mothers milk?

And just in case i needed to take test for peace of mind, what is the minimum time period before i can take the test? Im Sorry, this gonna be my last, bear with me?

Yes, I had a full sexual relationship with an hiv negative man and he remained hiv negative. Of course oral sex - both ways - was involved. We used condoms for intercourse, but no barriers for oral.

You're not going to become infected through sucking nipples. Only tiny babies who rely on breast milk as their only food source get infected from breast milk, not adults.

Unless you suck on someone's actively bleeding wound, you're not going to get enough blood in your mouth to cause concern - but why on earth would you want to do that? Are you a vampire?

You can test at any time for peace of mind. You have NOT had a risk for hiv infection and you are not in a testing window period.

If you read the Welcome Thread before posting like you're supposed to, you will have read the following posting guideline:

Quote

Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

You do nt need testing over getting a blowjob. You've been reading the replies do far, yes?

Logged

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

■Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result, or no-risk situation will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.

From the article: Even more importantly, there hasn't been a single documented case of HIV transmission to an insertive partner (the person being "sucked") during unprotected oral sex, either among MSM, or heterosexuals.

Theoretical risk means that it could happen - in theory. But you could also walk outside your house tomorrow and get hit by a meteorite. It's theoretically possible, but is it likely? NO. It's theoretically possible you could win twenty million American dollars the first time you visit the States and buy your first ever lottery ticket, but is it going to happen? NO.

Documented risk means that it has been proven without doubt that transmission happened the way the person claimed. This means the person they sucked had the exact same virus that they were also diagnosed with and has agreed that oral sex was the only activity they engaged in. There have only been three - if that - properly documented cases of infection due to receptive oral - ie sucking dick.

There has never been a case where a woman claimed to have been infected through receptive oral - it's only men who make this claim, perhaps because they don't want to admit to a doctor that they like receptive anal intercourse. Maybe they don't want to admit to having unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse. Women have no problem admitting to unprotected vaginal intercourse, so they don't make up stories about how they got infected, unlike men.

You didn't suck dick. You got your dick sucked. There has never been a documented case of a person being infected by getting their dick sucked and there's not going to be either because it simply is not a risk.

I'm giving you that time out you've been warned about. Do not attempt to create a new account to get around your time out because if you do, you will be permanently banned.

You got a no risk blowjob. Get over it already and move on with your life.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Hi Ann. I have returned. Im sorry for my behavior, i didnt blame you for getting me a time out, but i think thats a little bit unfair, bcoz others manage to post dozens of comment before getting a time out, anyway, i dont mind at all

I missunderstand u whe u said "no risk blowjob" , as i thought there are a a "yes risk blowjob". As i read and read more in this forum, finally i find a comforting words from u, which sound like this: "getting a blowjob is not a low risk, its no risk" and that put 99% of my worries away. Thanks, i blamed it all on my poor english.

I have tested negative on 29th day, i know, its not in the window period, but i read that testing at 4th week has 95% accuracy, coupled with ur statement that average secoconvert takes 22 days, and also my no risk situation, not to mentioned transmission is significantly harder from female to male( this is in the case of intercourse, anyway, i try to use this as a argument to make me relax more), i manage to get over this anxiety.

Jonathan also explained how in the 90s and 2000s, they develop a crazy testing and researc method to learn about any unconventional way of transmission, and transmission via oral sex, is never been proven true. So this helps too.

I know that i do not need testing at 6 week, but im gonna do it anyway, so a question, should i test at early 6 week, meaning 42 days after the event, or at the end of 6 week, meaning after 45 days? Thanks for the reply

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I know you has said is should not test, since i didn't had the risk, but it was strictly for my peace of mind. Tomorrow is my 42nd day after the event, and im going to test tomorrow. Wish all the best for me, surely, im not going to be the first in the history.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Hi all. Since today gonna be last day before this forum needed to be paid to post, im gonna ask several final question, about HIV testing.

1. Many of the post that ive read said that negative at six week after exposure virtually guarantees it gonna negative at 3 month. Does this mean that the test can already be done on 42nd day after the exposure, for example, if the exposure on 1st January, the test can be done on 13th February?

2. Does this apply to all kind of test, including EIA/ELISA

3. Can ARS symptoms happen after 6 weeks?

4. If ARS happen, this means that the HIV can already be detected, is it right or wrong?

5. Can frottage cause HIV infection? at what level in the vagina that contains contagius fluids? does the vaginal fluid that comes out during frottage contain virus, or only in the depth of vagina only.

6. Majority of infection are detected within 6 weeks, and only minor cases detected beyond that. What cause this situation?

2. It applies to antibody tests. Third or fourth generation tests are best, but most people will test positive by this point on earlier tests as well.

3. Yes, although rarely. It's more likely to happen if first or second generation tests are used, but even then, it's fairly rare.

4. ARS means Acute Retroviral Syndrome, and is also known as seroconversion illness. It is not a reaction to the virus itself. It is a reaction to the process the body goes through while producing antibodies. A person will normally test positive within a week or so after experiencing seroconversion symptoms. Not all people will experience seroconversion symptoms!!!

Hiv can often be detected before antibodies. However, the tests that look for hiv itself are expensive and can return false positive results. They must be confirmed with antibody testing as well, whether the result is positive or negative. There are no short-cuts to hiv testing.

5. Frottage is not a risk for hiv infection. The infectious fluid in the female genital tract is actually a thick mucus that protects the cervix, deep inside the vagina.

The lubricating fluid a woman produces when sexually excited comes from two glands near the opening of the vagina and I've never been able to find a shred of evidence that this fluid is any more infectious than saliva, sweat or tears. Saliva, sweat and tears are NOT infectious fluids.

6. Only people who are on chemotherapy for cancer, anti-rejection drugs following organ transplant, or those who have been injecting street drugs, every day, for years might take a little longer than usual. Even these people will normally seroconvert and test positive by three months, although in some cases they are advised to test out to six months.

As long as the official testing window remains at three months, we will continue to advise people to confirm a six week negative at three months.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

1. They are both antibody tests. Most antibody tests in use today are either third or fourth generation.

You're forgetting one very important thing: YOU DID NOT HAVE A RISK FOR HIV INFECTION! You tested negative because you do not have hiv. A test at anytime, with any generation, will be conclusive for you because YOU DID NOT HAVE A RISK FOR HIV INFECTION!

2. Lubricating gels are likely to damage hiv. None of this matters when you're using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse like you're supposed to - and you're supposed to use lube when you use condoms.

You are still under a time out warning. Re-read your entire thread. I'm not going to spend all day giving you answers you've already been given.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts